School Kicks Cruel Donkey Basketball Game to the Curb

Jackson, Mich.—In Defense of Animals (IDA) is hailing the decision by Lumen Christi High School and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to cancel a donkey basketball fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, November 4. The announcement comes after the school and society were deluged by calls, faxes, and emails from members of IDA and Southeast Michigan Animal Rights Team (SMART) concerned about animal cruelty and the safety of both animals and players.

Donkeys used in basketball games are shipped around the country in cramped conditions and are forced into as many as 300 games each year. In what is more of a free-for-all than a sporting event, students who have no experience with donkeys ride, drag, and jerk the animals around a basketball court. Because students are often more interested in showing off to their classmates than in the animals’ welfare, they yank their tails and ears, yell at them, and hit and kick the helpless donkeys in order to make them move.

On top of the harm done to animals, donkey basketball games also pose a risk to human participants. An Illinois man was awarded $110,000 after being injured in a donkey basketball tournament, and during another game, a Wisconsin state senator fell off of a donkey and broke her leg.

IDA and SMART are now urging the Lumen Christi school board to create a policy banning the use of animals in fundraisers as many cities, counties, and school districts across the country have done.

“Donkey basketball sends children the wrong message,” says Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA President. “These events only teach children that the abuse and humiliation of animals is funny. Nowadays, kids need a clear and consistent message from adults that it is immoral to physically abuse others, animal or human. We applaud the committed leaders who responded to our call for concern about the humane treatment of animals.”